gravel to tempo
by elderberrys
Summary: Ino knows Sakura too damn well. — Sakura, Ino
1. hold up

**notes** : inosaku is the air i breathe and the love i feel  
 **notes 2** : expect a continuation & a series of drabbles.  
 **notes 3** : set during the blank period.

* * *

Sakura is and never will be a good liar, not good enough to lie under Hinata, who is always so perceptive and knows the shift in her personality. She can't even get away with it under Ino's nose either, the one who can spot a feigned sentence and a smile from a mile away; Ino is her best friend, her lover, her _soulmate_.

Ino knows Sakura too damn well, and it drives Sakura up the wall at times.

Her other half is just too good, but she tries her best to keep her composure, wanting to surprise Ino with a luxurious date and the big question of the century.

ღ

"So what were you wanting to tell me?" Ino asks on the couch in the living area of their apartment, currently concentrating on painting her toenails.

Sakura swallows and distracts herself with rounding up the mess of papers she has on their kitchen table and from the corner of her she sees her raising an eyebrow in expectation to something Sakura can't even get out.

She laughs nervously, and shrugs. "It was something about dinner tomorrow night?" Ino nods and gives her a smile, showing all her teeth. "Sounds good, what're we gonna eat?"

Sakura distracts herself again, trying to get these files organized, but it was beginning to feel a bit hot suddenly, and her hands can't seem to grasp the paper she's trying to get.

"Well?" Ino stretches the word, and sits the nail polish on the table and turns fully at her.

"It's just at that really nice restaurant, you know the new one that just opened uptown in Konoha, I wanted it to be a sort of, uh, fancy date." Sakura realizes she's babbling and didn't even answer Ino's simple question, she chews the inside of her cheek to distract from her mess of a response, hoping it didn't give too much away.

Ino stands up and goes to her, giving her messy kiss on the cheek. " _Nice_ , is it like sexy time fancy or just the boring casual?"

Sakura's cheeks flame, and she huffs: "Sexy fancy is good, but don't say it like that!"

Ino laughs, brushing a piece of Sakura's hair behind her ear.

"Alright, don't be such a prude, forehead," Sakura glares. Ino grins, and kisses her full on the lips, but Sakura still has that look in her eye.

"What? I apologized for teasing, give me a break." Sakura juts her chin out and focuses on grabbing the rest of her files to shuck them back in their room, and Ino hugs her.

"I love you," Sakura hums, and smiles anyway, melting in her arms.

"I love you too — _pig._ "

* * *

thank you for reading!


	2. water lilies

**notes1** : post war inosaku because i'm super tender.  
 **notes2** : i decided to add this one shot on Gravel to Tempo and make it into a drabble series that i will attempt to update with new content. so please keep an eye out for new chapters coming soon.

* * *

.

.

.

"Come on and jump!" Ino hollers from the bottom of the creek. It's a sunny day upon the painted sky, and she feels the rays of the bright star lightly roasting her skin, but she suddenly shivers despite the warmth above her. Ino had all but dragged her down the riverside to a brook off the outskirts of Konoha nearby Nara forests.

Sakura had protested the entire way there, but Ino had a firm grasp around her wrist and promised that she needed a day of fun. A day to relax, a break from the mess, the stress of after the war that had everyone shaken up.

The shinobi of Konohagakure had returned months prior, and had done their best to rebuild what they could, sending out small numbers of teams to assist in any nearby villages that may have been demolished during the battles.

Sakura and Ino had both been stuck in the hospital, Sakura for sure, who was needed since she's the top healer in the entire Nation of Fire. In fact, Ino had to split on some of the duties that came with being a medic and began prepping herself alongside her clan to become the head soon and also Ibiki, who needed her to begin her training to take over his spot when he retires as an investigator.

On top of Sakura's heavy load, she had to say goodbye to Sasuke (once again) the other week and that had taken its toll on her.

She only wants what's best for him, despite the clench in her chest she knows that she'll always love him dearly and it hurts to see him go watching his back like the many times before, but this time it's different— she knows that he'll return. Sakura understands this. Naruto knows too.

Away from the mental recaps of her week, Ino had guided her to a rocky edge, one that looked like it may give out at any moment, at the bottom, just a few hundred feet down was a bustling pond, that opens up near the river, and Ino had all but encouraged that a little cliff diving wouldn't hurt anyone.

Thankfully they're both healers, so if anything had gone wrong, _well_ they can both just heal one another.

Ino was the first to jump, stripping out of her clothes clad in her undergarments and grinned, the smug upturn of her lips that made Sakura scowl as she walked backwards off the cliff, causing Sakura's heart to nearly jump out of her chest.

"Ino!" She yells, her voice echoing throughout the mountainside, and the splash from below causes her to tremble nervously as she scans around the water looking for any signs of Ino, a beat passed, then a minute; finally—Ino's head shoots up from the water, as she wipes her hair back and waves.

"Come on, forehead! Don't be such a baby! Come down here!"

Sakura grumbles unintelligibly, looking to where Ino had put her clothes and huffs.

Sakura mimics her companion's earlier actions, stripping off her attire and returning to the edge. Ino calls for her again, Sakura inhales deeply trying to rid herself of the anxiety creeping up her throat, goosebumps forming on her arms, running, as she takes a leap of faith, immediatley she is soaring.

The wind whips past her, letting out a light scream as she plummets into the water, in seconds she feels the cool streams surrounding her senses, clogging up her ears, nose and mouth.

Sakura moves her arms, swimming upwards to the surface as she flips her wet hair back and searches for Ino.

Dark jade and bright chartreuse eyes meet each other, Ino's grin is from ear to ear as she bobs in the water. They don't speak for awhile, in some strange sort of stalemate, and Sakura can't help but think that it's like Ino's trying to pry into her mind.

She pushes such a thought away because Ino would never sift through her thoughts without permission nor would she ever need to, since the blonde knows all there is about her anyway. Ino knew her better than anyone in Konohagakure.

"I hope you've enjoyed our tiny escapade," Ino finally says, her self-satisfied tone causes Sakura to purse her lips, as she recoils into the water, her hair splaying out like a drop of pink paint.

"Yeah," Sakura responds thoughtfully, blinking up at the sky, the sun beginning to set, and she listens to the softness of the birds singing to one another. She smiles to herself, it's peaceful and she feels tranquil. The longest time she's felt like this.

Suddenly Sakura can feel Ino a bit closer than before and she turns her head where Ino is unexpectedly in her bubble. Usually, she'd gripe at her, but the anger is an afterthought—this moment feels different.

Something shifts between them as Ino watches her and Sakura can't help but feel as if she's a rabbit caught in a snare; a deer when a bright light flashes in front of them—frozen in time as she feels the steady thrum of her heart against her chest.

Ino moves first and it's her lips that meet her own, Sakura's eyes are still open in shock. Then, Ino gently begins to kiss her, it's gentle, but there's a need there—something grips her insides, wanting to burst out.

Sakura's eyes flutter close as she cups Ino's face and Ino in turn wraps her arms around her waist in the water pulling her a little closer. They kiss for who knows how long, but when they part, their foreheads press together and Ino has that smile.

That damn smile that would always grate on her nerves when they were together, always mocking as if she knows something she doesn't. This time though, seeing the sharp upturn of her lips, her chartreuse eyes (usually sharp like kunai's) they're so much softer now looking into her jade ones— her heart begins to pick up an odd rhythm. It's a heavy note against her chest, and she feels the strange tightness in her stomach again, butterflies swarming about in the pit of her gut.

Ino speaks first. "I've always wanted to do that," as she lets out a breathless laugh her eyes never leaving Sakura and Sakura is stunned.

Just as quickly as the flowing stream near her, Sakura realizes that she's in love. Always has been.

She doesn't know what to say, but before Ino even opens her mouth Sakura is the one to move first this time and she kisses her heartily. Ino returns her gesture as she giggles against her lips.

Sakura suddenly thinks that love is just like water, it moves graciously throughout one's lives, tumultuous, destructive at times to signify the heartbreak—the indecisive feelings that convey one's own emotions, but then it softens. It calms the heart, wrapping around you, encasing you in affection, tickling your insides.

Love is right in this moment.

Love is the kisses they share in the bubbling creek on a summer's day.

.

.

.

* * *

thank you for reading!


End file.
